The background information is believed, at the time of the filing of this patent application, to adequately provide background information for this patent application. However, the background information may not be completely applicable to the claims as originally filed in this patent application, as amended during prosecution of this patent application, and as ultimately allowed in any patent issuing from this patent application. Therefore, any statements made relating to the background information are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.
Load carrying elements, such as steel beams and columns, are typically joined by bolting or welding the elements together to transfer a load from one element to another. These typical methods of joining load carrying elements may require excessive time and expense and may not provide a desired joint.
What is needed is a method for joining structural steel components that may overcome at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art.